Forbidden Love
by Dara Tavar
Summary: Derek and Casey have been getting along cause of an idea Casey had. Weeks later, they're getting more feelings for each other that they shouldn't. And Now Sam's secret's been exposed. What will Casey do to Sam? And what will happen between her and Derek?
1. Chapter 1 Hanging By A Moment

**Okay, I've been working this up for a while... and now I've finally gotten it up. Now, this isn't all going to all go in order... I'm going to have it seperated into different parts. In between the parts there's going to be a certain number of weeks, months, possibly even years. I hope to tell you how lond has been skipped. I'll try. Well, I hope you enjoy the story! Thanks for reading! I feel horrible... I forgot to mention that I got the idea to write this from****jannikajade. Also, thanks to the poeple who pointed out that there are parts of this that sound like her story. Believe me, I didn't mean to do that... That's why I've gone through and changed those parts as best as I can. Again, I'm really sorry. And if there are any more parts found that I forgot to change, please tell me... but in a nice way. I'd be happy to fix those parts if you point them out to me. I'd already written this story three weeks ago and that's the reason that I've been trying to get it up... not for any other reason that I was falsely acused of.**

**Dara Tavar**

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**Forbidden Love**

**Part 1**

**Hanging By A Moment**

The car pulled out of the driveway and began on its way down the street. The driver of the car tried to concentrate, harder than he'd ever done before, on all of the thoughts that were rushing through his head... And they _all_ just happened to be about _her._

"Ah!" he stated a little bitterly. She always made him think, even if he didn't want to. "Stupid Casey..." he mumbled under his breath.

Derek rolled his eyes. Why was he always thinking about her? He tried to put her out of his thoughts. It wasn't working all that well. It hadn't worked for about two weeks, so why would it work for him now? Maybe, just maybe... if he tried harder?

He couldn't though, and he knew all too well just the reason why he couldn't. He liked her. For reasons that he would never be able to explain, even if his life were on the line, he liked Casey. And he knew he liked her more than any other girl he was with, and probably would be with. He even knew when it all had started too, two or three weeks ago... When they first started to get along, or more when they first started trying too anyways. But he'd even liked her before that, just not as much as he did now.

-Three weeks earlier-

"Come on Derek... You haven't even heard all that I have to say yet." Casey pleaded. "Do this for me, please? Will you at least listen to me for once in your life?!"

"Why would I do something like that? Especially for you." Derek flashed her an all too familiar smirk. "We hate each other, remember? We don't like to listen to each other, let alone be near each other."

Derek turned and made his way toward Casey's door. He had reached the doorway when Casey said the one thing that would make him stop and listen to her, the one thing she'd been hoping she wouldn't have to say.

"Well, if not for me... then will you do it for George?"

She hated to use what George had said to her against him, but she did want him to listen to her. And to get him to do that, she knew that bringing up what George had said to her... that it would at least get his attention.

Derek did stop at those words. He turned to look at her, his look was a bit annoyed. "What about dad?"

Casey swallowed hard. "Well, George told me that whenever we fight... well, he's getting annoyed. He's thinking of making us spend every waking hour in the summer together. Just to see if we'll get along any better." she stated, knowing how horrible it would be to have to spend that much time with Derek.

"All summer!?!" Derek seemed shocked. He gave her an annoyed look, his eyes narrowed, his jaw tightened, and he seemed to stiffen a little. "Dada wouldn't..."

Casey nodded. "Yes, all summer. And I'm sure he would... my mom even agrees with him."

"All right..." Derek whined, finally giving in to her. "I'll do it just because I don't want to spend all summer stuck with you."

"Yeah... like I'd want to spend all summer with you." A wide smile spread across Casey's face. "Okay! So, what I was thinking is that we, One: e-mail each other something about ourselves... or Two: we write each other a note saying something about ourselves... This way, we learn more about each other. And therefore, hopefully, we get along better than we do now. And we can't already know whatever it is about each other."

Derek watched her for a moment, thinking about what he should do. "Okay... Like I said, I'll do it for Marti. So... when do you want to start?"

Casey bit her lip lightly like she did so many times before. "Well…" Casey thought about it for a moment. "I think we should start… Well, is today good?"

Derek nodded in agreement. "Today it is then. If that's all you wanted to talk about then… I think we're done here." With that Derek turned and left her room.

"Derek!" Casey called after him, appearing in her doorway as he turned around to look at her. She rolled her eyes at him. "How are we supposed to do this if we don't know each other's e-mail addresses? It would kinda help if we did… Don't you think so?"

"Yeah… I guess that would help, Capitan Obvious." Derek walked back into her room as she rolled her eyes at him. He looked around her room for something that he could write on… Finally, he spotted a stack of post-it notes on her desk. "Well… If you give me a post-it, then I'll write it down for you. But if I don't have something to write on…then you're not going to get it." He stated, knowing he was annoying her just by the look on her face.

Casey rolled her eyes at him and went to her desk. "Here…" she stated, holding out a post-it. She seemed rather annoyed with him, and she was. "Will you just take it already?!" she snapped when he'd not taken the post-it from her hand.

"Temper, temper Case…" Derek smirked, taking the post-it and picking up a pen. He quickly scribbled down his e-mail address and pressed it against her forehead before turning and walking out.

"Der-REK!" Casey snapped, ripping the post-it off of her head.

Derek leaned his head into her room. "You called…" he began, flashing her an all too familiar smirk.

She returned the smirk. "You forgot something…" she stated, slapping him on the forehead, pressing her post-it to his head.

He glared at her as he reached up and took the post-it off his forehead. He read it as he rubbed his forehead. "What are you doing?" he asked when he saw that she'd sat down at her desk and was typing away at the computer.

"Putting your e-mail address in here, Stupid. What did you think I was doing?" she snapped, glancing at him.

"I'm not stupid…" Derek defended.

"Ah… Well, your grades could have fooled me." Casey stated, sending him an evil smirk.

Derek really brought out the worst in her. "Just because my grades are low doesn't mean that I'm stupid… It just means that I don't try hard in school."

"Well, I guess you have a point there." Casey continued to type, but this time to Emily. "It just means that you're not smart."

"Whatever…" He rolled his eyes at her. "Oh…" He smirked evilly. "It's really not like you to blackmail me with my dad's words."

Casey looked up at him, her cheeks quickly turning red. "I… um… uh…" she stammered.

Derek's smirk only grew wider. "Yeah… Doesn't sound like you, does it?" With that, he walked away and made his way to his own room. He looked down at her e-mail address as he walked.

He moved into his room and made his way to his computer. He moved the mouse and his screen went from black to blue. He quickly typed in his password and pressed enter.

"Oh… What do we have here…" he began when he saw the message on his computer. Casey had already sent him something.

He added her to his friends list and went back to the message.

It was short and simple, but it did tell him something about Casey that he'd not known before. It read:

'_I fear spiders. They have too many legs... Sorry 'bout using what George said against you.'_

He quickly began to type up his own message and it was soon sent. It said:

'_I don't like snakes… They're kinda like legless eguana's. I've always hated eguanas. Edwin used to have one...it laid eggs in my boxers. And I guess it's alright Klutzilla, it's just kinda low.'_

Sure, the Klutzilla made her mad at first… But as time went on, the stupid little nicknames stopped coming. They sometimes used nicknames, but they were nicer and even more like nicknames a boyfriend and girlfriend would use for each other.

Their first few messages were plain and simple, and for a while they stayed like that. But, as time progressed they changed into more personal messages.

About a week later, their feelings for each other had reached a new level… a level that they shouldn't have been at for stepsiblings.

Casey was still with Sam, and she thought she loved him… But lately she'd been rethinking that. Their relationship was failing, because of Sam's new actions.

Sam showed up late for their dates, or just didn't show up at all. When he didn't show up, he'd come up with some stupid excuse as to why he'd not come. And whenever he did show up, he never paid for it. He'd stopped acting like the gentleman that he'd once been. And one thing that both Casey and Derek had been noticing lately, he flirted with girls whenever Casey wasn't there or just wasn't paying attention… or so he thought. But Derek, Casey had too, had seen him flirting with **guys **at times. And that is all added to the 'Sam kisses like a fish' problem.

Casey hadn't been able to give her affection to Sam, because her affection for him was beginning to wear thin by now. So… she pushed her affection onto the next guy that she had feelings for… Derek. Her affection towards him seemed to be growing with every message they sent each other.

During the first week they'd stopped fighting, most of the time, and if they did then it wasn't as heated or as harsh… and then shortly after they'd be getting along as though it had never happened.

'_Babe, my relationship with Sam's kinda failing. He's… changed. He's not the guy I fell for last year.'_

She told him in one of her later messages.

Derek was stunned at the fact that she actually admitted this to him.

'_Listen Baby, I'm sorry 'bout that. But if it makes you feel better… I ended it with Kendra today at school .It just wasn't working out too well. Besides, I've got my eyes on someone else I my French class. She's real beautiful and sits near me. I think you'd like her too… I'm pretty sure you like her. She's nice, smart, beautiful, sexy (and probably doesn't know it), but… she's got a boyfriend. I know their relationship's almost over though. I don't think she likes me in that way though, but I don't know that for sure. Her boyfriend's also one of my friends, and I don't really want to ruin our friendship by doing something stupid. But, it's not like our friendship's gonna last much longer… He's taking it for granted so I don't think I'll be his friend much longer, but who knows what'll happen.'_

Casey stared, stunned, at the computer. "Who's this mystery girl that seems to be catching Derek's affection?" she asked herself out loud, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Derek smirked, causing Casey to jump… realizing that he was now standing in her doorway. He chuckled lightly as Casey's cheeks began to turn red for embarrassment.

That's about the time that Derek had realized how much his feelings for her had grown. But, he wasn't about to break down and tell Casey how he felt.

She begged him to tell her who the girl was, but he only smiled and shook his head no. He couldn't really tell her, what if she didn't feel the same way? Then their new friendship would be ruined. But… what if she **did** feel the same way? Then what would they do?

Then their messages, and the notes they sometimes wrote, began to get a little… flirtatious. Something they really shouldn't have become.

One day, about a week and a half to two weeks after they'd started to become friends, Derek wrote:

'_Hey Baby… Do you remeber when you wore that mini skirt to school at the beginning of the year? It didn't really hurt my eyes to look at you, I just wanted you to think that it did. To be completely honest… it took all the power in me not to stare at you all day long. You actually looked __**hot**__! I wanted to kill every guy that looked at you, even if he only glanced at you… Though, not many guys just glanced at you… unless they're walking a not so straight line, if you get what I'm saying.'_

Casey smiled widely, her cheeks turning a little red, and wrote back:

'_Thanks Babe! I don't really hate to go to all your hockey games... I really like to watch you play. I just never wanted to act like I did. You know, because we were supposed to hate each other.__'_

From that day on, Derek and Casey's fights stopped completely. Sure, every now and then they fought, but that was just so their family members didn't get too suspicious of them. Their family was becoming suspicious of them really quickly.

They were getting along so well that **everyone** was getting suspicious of them. Their family, friends, teachers, and everyone else at school.

One morning, about two weeks after they'd started e-mailing each other, Edwin and Lizzie nearly went crazy because they were acting nicer than normal. They had so many questions that Derek was nearly to the point of killing Edwin, luckily Casey was there… Derek refused to kill him in front of her. And Casey was about ready to tell off Lizzie, a first for her, but luckily Derek was by her side… Because Derek was there she wasn't going to do it. She didn't want Derek to think she was weird by not acting like herself around her little sister.

The morning had started out, strangely enough, like any other morning had… other than Casey and Derek didn't fight any more. As far as everyone else knew, it had been a normal morning. What they didn't know was that Derek had willingly given up the shower for Casey to use first. Because he'd done this, Casey went downstairs after her shower and started making breakfast.

As a matter of fact, this had only been about a week earlier. Derek had a game that night and Nora and George both had to leave early… and they were running late, so they couldn't make breakfast.

Nora and George were rushing about, getting their things for work. They were heading out the door, yelling "goodbye" and "we love you" as they closed the door.

Casey was standing in the kitchen at the stove, Edwin was sitting by Lizzie at the table and they were looking at some papers lying on the table before them. Marti was upstairs, getting herself dressed for the day. Derek, on the other hand, was just now walking out of the bathroom and making his way down the steps. He'd just gotten out of the shower, because he'd let Casey have it first.

He moved into the kitchen and walked right over to Casey, looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing. "Chocolate chip pancakes… for me? You shouldn't have…" Derek smiled, moving beside her and leaning against the counter beside her.

Casey returned the smile as she looked over at him. "It's nothing, really. Besides, you have a game tonight and you've always like to eat them before your game. And seeing as how mom and George had to leave early and couldn't make them… I decided to do it." Casey stated, causing both Edwin and Lizzie to look up at her in surprise.

Then George and Nora reentered the house and started to search for the car keys. "Hey, do any of you see the car key? It came of my key chain." George called out from the living room.

"No!" Edwin and Lizzie called out in unison.

"Have you checked your jacket pocket? The brown one…" Casey called out without looking up.

"Wear is it?" George asked, leaning into the kitchen.

Derek simply pointed to the brown jacket hanging on the back of the chair.

"Thanks…"

Nora moved into the kitchen as well. She went over to George's jacket and began to help him search all its pockets.

"They're kinda for everyone. You know, since we haven't had breakfast. I made plenty of them." Casey stated as Nora sighed with frustration, mumbling something about how they were going to be late for work if they didn't find those keys soon.

George started to fumble through his inside pockets; so far they'd had no luck in retrieving the keys. Finally, he pulled the silver key out, getting an eye roll from Nora, who was very annoyed by now.

"Let me put those away for you." Derek offered, causing everyone to stop what they were doing… everyone but Casey that is. Derek took the ingredients Casey had already used and began to put them away.

"That's it!" Edwin finally snapped. "What is up with you two lately?! You're acting way too nice to each other!"

Lizzie didn't say a word. For now she just shook her head, mumbling something under her breath as she wrote something on a piece of paper in front of her.

"Yeah… What _has_ been going on between you two?" Nora asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at them suspiciously.

"Yeah… Why have you two been acting so nice to each other? It's been, what… Two weeks now?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

Casey bit her bottom lip, glancing over at Derek from the corner of her eye. She didn't know what to tell them. She couldn't tell them that she thought she liked Derek. So… she stayed silent and continued to make pancakes.

Derek gave her, and everyone else, but mostly her, a reassuring smile. "We're just getting along really well lately. We're kind of like… friends." He glanced at the clock. "Hey dad… aren't you and Nora running late?"

"Smerek… can I have pancakes too?" Marti asked. She was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She gave George and Nora an annoyed look as they rushed over and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the forehead before rushing out of the house once again.

Derek looked over at Casey. "You did say they were for everyone, right?" he asked. Casey gave him a small smile and nodded, that was as much of a yes as he needed. He gave her a large grin and a wink before turning back to Marti. "Of course you can Smarti… And you can have first dibbs on which one you want."

"Yeah!" Marti called out before running over to Derek, who immediately picked her up.

After that Edwin and Lizzie asked them tons of questions. They asked Derek and Casey about **all** the nice things they'd done in the past two weeks. They were driving the two of them insane.

-Back To Derek Driving-

Before Derek realized in, he was pulling into the parking lot of the movie theatre.

He parked halfway down one of the rows and got out. He walked closer to the theatre. The only reason he'd been so frustrated with Casey, was because she'd touched his arm.

Normally, he wouldn't care about it, but lately if she even accidentally touched him… there was something different about it. His heartbeat would speed up, his blood seemed to run faster, he could barely breathe, and he seemed to have to take a cold shower, a lot.

Derek suddenly stopped, anger flaring in his eyes. What he was witnessing was shocking.

He turned around and ran back to his car. He had to get home **now**! He needed to get Casey, as soon as possible. He had to get her and bring her here.

"No wonder Sam's been acting so different lately. Poor Casey…" he murmured, getting into his car and speeding away.


	2. Chapter 2 Blinded By the Light

**Okay... I've finally gotten to updating this story, sorry it took so long. This chapter switches on and off from Derek's point of veiw to Casey's. I'll try to update sooner next time... I just haven't been home since Saturday. Oh! If anyone has problems with swearing, tell me... I'll stop it if you don't like it. Well, that's all... I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Dara Tavar**

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Oh, does anyone know what happened to Derek's mom? I'd like to know...

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**Blinded By the Light**

_**-Derek's POV-**_

I walked through the door to find dad rushing through the living room. He was pulling on his jacket when I walked over to the stairs.

Dad looked up and saw me. "Derek… What are you doing back here? I know movies aren't that short now-a-days. You should be at the movies for two hours… or something like that." He stated, raising an eyebrow and eyeing me suspiciously.

I looked over at him. "I'm here to get Casey… I want her to come with me." I stated before beginning to climb the stairs two at a time.

"Derek… I need the car. Nora won't be home for a half an hour and I have an emergency case that I need to go to the office to get some papers for… I won't be home till dinner time. I need someone to watch the kids. I'm sorry."

"Nora's gonna be home in a half an hour… I'm sure Edwin and Lizzie can handle things until then. Besides… when do Casey and I get to spend some quality time together? Maybe we just want some time to talk… We are friends you know."

"Fine… I guess that's alright… But I'm still gonna need the car."

I thought of arguing with him, but remembered why I'd come home. "Sure, whatever. Here you go." I tossed him the keys before heading to Casey's room.

I left him standing there, completely confused as to why I didn't argue as he watched me rush to her room.

I was about to open Casey's door, bad habits and all… I thought I should knock, keep her happy. I seemed to be doing a lot more of that lately… respecting her privacy and doing things just to make her happy with me.

"Come in!" she called out after I knocked.

I opened her door and hastily moved over to stand by her. She was sitting on her bed, leaning against her headboard, and reading _'The Notebook.'_

She held up a slender finger, motioning for me to give her a second.

I waited for her to finish the paragraph she was reading. I wanted her to be happy, so… I did what she wanted me to do.

She put her finger where she was and looked up at me. "What is it Derek?" she asked with a warm smile.

I reached down and picked up her bookmark, marking her page and closing the book. I sat the book down on her nightstand before pulling her to her feet. "Come on…" I began. "We're going to the movies."

"But what about the kids? We won't be allowed to leave them alone for a half an hour… will we?"

"Yeah… I talked my dad into letting us." I gave her a reassuring smile.

Casey smiled back. "Okay… Just let me get my shoes from the closet first." She stated, walking over to the closet. "Driving or walking?" she asked as she fumbled through the closet, looking for her shoes.

"We've got to walk. My dad's got to take the car… something about an emergency case." I told her as she slipped her shoes on her feet. I really wasn't listening to half of what he'd been telling me.

"All right…" She smiled at me as she stood up. "Then we'd better get walking if we expect to make it to the theatre in time."

We made our way down the steps and were walking through the living room when dad yelled something he'd really not needed to yell.

"No fighting!" he yelled, instantly wanting to take it back.

Casey turned around and flashed a wide smirk. "Do we ever?" When he went to say something she quickly added, "Anymore that is."

He smiled and waved the two of us away. So… we made our way out of the house, both smirking like two idiots at his expense. It's been three weeks… I guess he's still not completely used to the idea of us **not** fighting.

"So… what are we going to see?" she asked after a moment of silence, not even glancing at me.

"I don't know…" I finally admitted. Seeing as how I didn't know what Sam was going to see yet… I had no clue what we would see. "But… I'll pay for both of us if you let me choose the movie."

Casey looked over at me, thinking it over for a moment. "All right…" she stated slowly. "But… if you choose a horror movie, be prepared for me to use you to block out anything that I don't like."

I smirked, looking back at her. "I guess I can let you do that… seeing as how you're letting me choose the movie. It's only fair I guess." I gave her a light shrug, thinking of how close we would be.

Casey returned the smile. "Thank you… I'll let you choose the movie then." She stared into my eyes, not once looking away for anything. There was something in her eyes… sure, I didn't know what it was… but I'd seen that look before. She'd given me that look several times.

"You're welcome Case…" I found myself saying, but at this realization… I still didn't take my eyes away from hers. It was like I was in a trance. No matter how much I wanted too, I couldn't look away. Her eyes were inviting, like she wanted me to see something inside of her. So, before I realized it… I was lost in those two azure blue eyes. Her own blue gaze didn't tear away from my gaze… She was deeper in me than any girl had ever been before. And… that scared me a little.

What happened if I fell for her even more? What if… what if I fell in love with her?

Before we knew it, we were walking through the parking lot of the movie theatre.

"Ow!" I cried out when I walked right into a pole.

Casey's look said that she was worried… and yet, found this funny at the same time. "Are you alright Derek?" she asked, trying to hide her smile from me.

I rubbed my forehead as I walked on. "Yeah, I'm alright… It just hurt a bit."

I spotted Sam buying tickets. I watched as he walked into the theatre marked _'Grave Dancers.'_ I immediately knew Casey wouldn't like the movie.

I cringed, not wanting Casey to be afraid… and yet, I liked the thought of how close we would be. But… I did want her to see Sam. I knew it would hurt her… But it's better out in the open now, rather than later.

"I want to see _'Grave Dancers'_ Case." I pointed to the poster of it.

Casey stiffened. "But Derek…" she whined. "It's a horror movie."

"I realize that… But remember what we talked about? You can use me to block it out." I turned to look into her eyes. "And besides Case… it's not real."

A look of interest flashed in Casey's eyes. It was different than any look of interest I'd ever seen in her eyes. She slowly nodded before holding onto my arm.

When her hand slid against my hand I felt my hand I felt my heartbeat speed up. How could she have such an effect on me?

I led her to the ticket counter, buying two tickets, and then we went to the snake bar. After we'd gotten our drinks and popcorn, we made our way into the theatre.

I looked for Sam, and when I finally saw him… I made sure we were a few rows behind him.

Casey seemed a bit worried as the movie started. I knew she didn't want to watch it… but Sam was in here, and I wanted her to see him. And that was something I was hoping would happen soon. The movie was starting and I could tell Casey was scared by the way she held the arm of her chair.

I turned to her and when she realized I was watching her, she gave me a worried smile. I gave her a reassuring smile and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me.

I wonder if I have the same effect on her that she has on me…

_**-Casey's POV-**_

I reluctantly leaned against Derek when he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I tried to ignore the fact that where ever he touched me, my skin felt hot and the obvious sparks that I felt between us. I wanted to ignore all that… I knew I **needed** to ignore it… for Derek's sake, and my own sanity.

Derek moved closer to me when the movie scared me. The only reason, I think, that he knew it scared me was because I shudder when a woman was hung by a fishing line. That would be a terrible death.

I laid my head on his shoulder and continued to watch the screen. Why did Derek want to watch this movie again?

Derek laid his head on top of mine and I felt myself suddenly relax just by knowing he was here with me.

I wonder… do I have this effect on him? Well, maybe I should see if I do or not.

This feels so right… and yet, so wrong at the same time.

_**-Derek's POV-**_

I laid my head on top of Casey's head, which she now had resting on my shoulder.

These stupid people… Who dances on someone's grave just because a card says too? Really… that's just idiotic.

Casey's hand slid across my chest and I suddenly found it hard to breathe and I can't swallow. She's relaxed and doesn't seem to notice that I've stiffened and I can't really breathe or swallow.

Wait… why can't I swallow? Why can't I breathe? And, why am I suddenly so stiff?

Maybe I have more feelings for Casey then I thought I did…

But why do I have to like her so much? Why can't I just like her as much as any other girl?

Maybe my dad's right… Hey, there's a first for everything, right? He told me once, _'The forbidden fruit is always more appealing than the unforbidden.'_ And right now, Casey was that forbidden fruit, figuratively speaking of course.

I couldn't have her, and that's what made it so tempting. That's why I loved… well, I don't really know if I love her or not, maybe I just like her… Crap! What if I do love Casey? Man, I'm gonna need to talk to dad about this sometime tonight. I could have any other girl at school, including Casey's best friend Emily if I really wanted to, and I had to go and fall for the one girl that I can't have. I went and fell for Casey, my step sister!

I have a crush on Casey, my step sister! Okay, that just sounds _really_ wrong… It doesn't sound as bad if I just say I have a crush on Casey… Yeah, forget the step sister part, it sounds to wrong when I add that part in there… But that is what this is, right? Wrong…

Of course it's wrong, she my step… Casey! She's Casey! She could never be at all interested in me. Not one bit. Wait… why do I feel so bad when I think of it that way?

I have a crush on my father's wife's daughter… Oh God, please let it just be a crush. Just to think about how our parents would react if they knew makes me hope that it's only a crush…

What if Casey liked me back though? That's a stupid question! She could never… Here comes that hurting in the pit of my stomach again.

_**-Casey's POV-**_

I held on all the tighter to Derek. The movie wasn't scaring me or anything… okay, it was a little bit. I mean, this married woman pretty much just got chased out of her bedroom by some creepy woman with hair over her face and the woman that she and her husband suspected it was they found in her house… covered in blood and teeth marks.

Now they're at the hospital and the married woman, I can't remember her name, just saw a person covered by a blanket in the hospital start to bleed and then attack her… And now she finds out that there wasn't even a person there! Why did I agree to watch this movie?

But now I'm getting off subject… The reason I held on tighter to Derek is because he looked sad. When I did that he pulled me closer to him… Maybe not as close as I'd like us to be, but…

Bad Casey! Bad! I shouldn't think like that! I'll mentally kick myself for that later. But how could something so wrong… feel so right at the same time? I mean, that what this is, correct? It's wrong…

It's not like Derek could have these feeling for me, right?

Wait… what's so wrong with me that Derek couldn't have feelings for me?

No! I shouldn't think like that. It's incest! Well, we aren't related by blood, just by marriage… So, is it really considered incest?

_**-Derek's POV-**_

Incest! That's what it would be if we were together. But, we're only related by marriage, so…

Oh, man! She's just got to bit her lip, doesn't she? I know it, she's just doing it to make me want to kiss her senseless! I know it… No, Casey wouldn't do that.

_**-Casey's POV-**_

Oh, great! He's pulling his leather jacket on tighter. Why does he have t do this to me? When ever he wears that I just want to kiss him more than I want to do anything else in this world!

_**-Derek's POV-**_

Shit! She's biting her lip again. I'm going to lose it soon if she doesn't quit with that! She really needs to stop soon, for her own good.

Concentrate on Sam… No! Then I just want to kill Sam for what he's doing down there.

What the hell's he doing anyways?!

Concentrate on the movie then… I can't even do that. This movie s just so stupid! Besides, it's not even **half** as interesting as Casey is right now.

_**-Casey's POV-**_

I'm going to lose it soon! The longer I'm with him, the worse it gets. The more time I'm with him, alone or not, the stronger my feelings for him get. It's been like this ever since the wedding day. No, ever since we first met. But still, all I can do is hold on to him all the tighter and hope that he'll kiss me. I can only hope that he's such a lousy kisser that I'll lose all my feelings for him… But, with all the girls he's been with I doubt he's a lousy kisser.

I don't want to pay attention to the movie 'cause these people found out that they're being haunted by these ghosts of the people that were buried in the graves that they danced on and they're haunting will only get worse every night. It'll end at the end of the month... or when their untimely death comes.

The married couple is being haunted by a female piano teacher who had an affair with a married man and when he ended it she killed him and his wife with an axe. The woman's being haunted by a guy who had a strange way of treating woman he had sex with, by locking them in his basement and being really rough with them. Like biting them and keeping them locked down there until they died. Then there's the other guy who's being haunted by a kid that deliberately burnt his house down, with himself and his family still in the house.

Now this is a really creepy movie, I really don't want to watch it… So, the only other thing to do is pay attention to Derek… and to think about Derek. It's not like I'm going to pay any attention to any other couple in this theatre… I could watch that couple down there, who have pretty much devoured each other's faces. But I really don't want to do that.

Wait… why am I waiting for him to make the first move? If I do that I'll probably be waiting my whole life for him. But, what would happen to us if I did kiss him and he gave me a look of utter disgust? I'd never be able to look at him again.

_**-Derek's POV-**_

I won't be able to handle this much longer. If she holds on to me any tighter… then I swear I'll lose it for good!

I can already smell her faded perfume, a scent that always lingers around her.

Wait! What's she doing?

She's moving even closer to me, but this time it's our faces that are coming closer together.

She's kissing my cheek. If she moved a little to the left… What the hell am I thinking?!

"Thanks for bringing me Derek." She whispered in my ear. Her breath was hot against the back of my neck, tormenting me.

I swallowed hard. I wonder if I can have the same affect on her? I slowly leaned closer to her. The closer I get to her, the shorter and quicker her breaths start to come.

_**-Casey's POV-**_

"It's nothing… I'm having a good time. It's actually not a bad movie…" he whispered in my ear. His hot breath is tickling the hairs on the back of my neck. How can he torment me in the ways that he does? He makes chills run down my spine. How can he have this affect on me?

_**-Derek's POV-**_

It's not a bad movie… It's just a really stupid movie that doesn't scare me at all. It's not that I don't like it; I just think the people in it are really stupid. I mean, first off, they danced on people's graves because of what a card said… and they had to go and pick three of the most horrible graves that you could pick.

Now two of the people have been killed and the other four and running for their lives. They're running from a crazy woman with an axe, who took over their dead friend's body, and they're running from a kid who likes to set things on fire.

They got themselves into this mess and it's gonna be hard to get out of it, and it's all because the specialists assistant had to take the heads out of the graves that they reburied the people in and now they've come back with even more vengeance. Because she did that… she got killed by an axe to her back. Really smart on her behalf…

_**-Casey's POV-**_

I swallowed hard and turned to look at him. His eyes were darker than normal, they had a different look to them… and it wasn't because of the low lighting in the theatre. The look was more of a … longing look? A look of fiery passion maybe… Possibly even… lust?

Derek, lusting after me!? Like that would ever happen. But… what if it did happen?

_**-Derek's POV-**_

That's it! That's the final straw… I can't take it any more… I've got to kiss her!

I swallowed hard. Wait… why am I so nervous again? It's not like this is going to be my first kiss or something. I've kissed lots of girls before, so I'm kind of like an expert at this. But… I've never felt this way about anyone else before… This feeling is similar to what I feel for Marti, dad, Edwin, and like I felt for mom… Oh, please don't let it be love!

This is **much** different from that… it has to be!

I lean forward, closing the gap between us. I was going to kiss Casey… only God knows what is going through my head right now!

Hopefully she's such a horrible kisser that all these stupid feelings will just go away for god!

_**-Casey's POV-**_

Wait! What's Derek doing? He's leaning closer to me… is he going to kiss me then?

One simple kiss couldn't hurt anyone… could it? Maybe these feelings that I've felt for him ever since the wedding day will just fade into oblivion… or maybe they could grow.

Okay… There's a chance that he'll kiss even worse than Sam… But then there's always that chance that he'll be a better kisser than Sam and I could fall in love… No, not love. I could just possibly fall for him even more. But not in love with him… just, like him even more. Yeah, that's good… like, not love.

_**-Derek's POV-**_

I'm such a wimp! Since when does Derek Venturi wimp out of kissing a girl? When it comes to Casey, that's when. I just kissed her cheek instead of kissing her… I'm a chicken; I'm turning into a sap… What's this girl doing to me?

Oh! Now she's just tempting me. She just has to run her hand across my chest, doesn't she?

She needs to stop, for her own good…

Wait… when did the end of the movie come along? The last thing I remember is that guy getting burnt to death… now they're at a funeral? And cue the credits…

What was that movie about again? Oh yeah… people dancing on graves. Stupid people. Who in their right mind would dance on someone's grave?

"Come on Case…" I say, standing up and holding out a hand. "It's time to go home."

The lights came on and I finally saw the fiery anger in her eyes.

"Not yet!" she hissed before pulling me back down beside of her.

My eyes followed where she was looking… she'd finally seen Sam.

_**-Casey's POV-**_

Sam! I can't believe what's going on right in front of my eyes!

I'm angrier at him because we're together and haven't broken up yet… then because we're together and I'm just a jealous girlfriend! It's not like I really want to be his girlfriend anymore… I just wanted to wait for the opportune moment to end it with him… and this was looking like the opportune moment more and more.

"Sam!" I hissed angrily in a low voice before standing up. I know that if it were possible, my eyes would be burning a hole in the back of his skull…

I'm going to **kill** him for this!

* * *

**Does anyone know what happened to Derek's mom?**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Dara Tavar**

* * *


	3. Chapter 3 Because of You

**Here's the next chapter... I hope you enjoy it. Updates probably won't be coming as soon because the school year is here and it's always really bury than. I'll try getting at least one chapter up a week.**

**Dara Tavar**

* * *

**Because Of You**

_**Casey's POV**_

I move out of the row, Derek moving for me after seeing the anger in my eyes.

"Sam!" I repeat, anger in my words.

This time he turns to look at me, his eyes widening. "Casey!? Wh… what are you doing here?!" he asked me.

I flash him an angered smirk. "You know… I was just thinking about asking you that same question… But I came here to watch the movie… you?"

Sam glanced at the screen for a moment. "I came to watch the movie too." He replied, a partial smile lingering on his face.

"Oh, I see… Well… who's that there beside you?" I ask, pointing to the girl beside him. I'd seen him whispering in her ear and her grinning flirtatiously and him before leaning over and kissing him… and not on the cheek.

He turned back to her, a confused look on her face, before grinning sheepishly at me. "My sister…" he suggested, a completely disgusted look spreading across her face.

_**Derek's POV**_

"Sister!" I murmur under my breath. That is **not** his sister. That's a girl I've seen Sam hanging around with before… and I doubt that he'd be touching and kissing his sister the same way he's done with that girl.

At least that's not the same person I'd seen Sam with before… because that **definitely** would have freaked Casey out to see. It freaked me out seeing it.

Him hiding in the shadows with that… that… person! It was completely gross… I'd never known that Sam was like that.

I move behind Casey. As Sam's eyes suddenly widen I flash him my famous smirk.

He visibly stiffened, swallowing hard. "Derek…"

"Sam…" I send him an evil smirk. "Who's that beside you?"

Sam gave her an unsure look. "My sister…" he suggested, looking back at me, a worried look spreading across his face.

She sent him a disgusted look.

"Ah… your sister… I see." I nod my head slowly. "I wasn't aware that you had an Asian sister."

Sam's eyes suddenly grew even wider, if it were possible. He seemed to have forgotten the fact that she was Asian.

"Say Case…" I began. "Doesn't she look like one of the new foreign exchange student at our school?"

"As a matter of fact… she does." Casey sent Sam another angered smirk.

Man, she's really hot when she's angry!

"Case…" he began.

"Don't!" Casey snapped, cutting him off. "Don't call me that! I never want you to call me that ever again!"

"But Casey…" he tried again.

"Damn it Sam!" she looked even angrier; she had to be really angry to swear. "I don't want to hear it… We're _through_, done, **over!** Get it!?"

Yeah... she may be acting real hash on him… but he really deserves it. I mean… she caught him cheating on her! He's going to get what's coming to him…

Casey stared angrily at him, her eyes burning with fury.

"Sam…" I began, finally catching his attention. "We're no longer friends form this moment on. As of now… you are officially off my friends list… you can start looking for a new best friend."

He stared at me blankly for a moment before it finally sunk in. His jaw suddenly dropped… he'd lost his girlfriend, and now his best friend… on the same night.

"Why?" he finally asked me, staring at me, glancing at Casey, and then watching me once again.

"Well…" I crossed my arms over my chest. "If you can do something like this to Casey… a person who has become one of my best friends in the past three weeks… then our friendship probably doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot to you." I glared at him for a moment. "I know that lately you've been taking our friendship for granted… telling people that you're my best friend just to get a date… So, apparently, it must not mean much to you."

_**Casey's POV**_

Why is Derek doing this? He really doesn't have to if he doesn't want to… he doesn't have to throw away there friendship on my account if he really would rather not. But… what if he would rather not be his friend?

I turned to look at Derek. His eyes were burning with anger and they were narrow as he stared Sam down, his lips were held together in a tight line, and his hands were fists… he does look angry…

"Are you doing this just to make Casey happy?!" Sam asked, watching Derek closely.

Derek only glared at him, not even attempting to explain himself to Sam.

"Are you?" I asked quietly, wanting to know the answer just as much as Sam… maybe even more.

Derek turned to look at me, a softness washing over his features, his eyes softening as well. He gave me a faint smile before turning back to Sam. The moment he saw Sam… his eyes were immediately burning with rage, his feature stiffening, and his hands becoming fists once again.

"In the past three weeks I guarantee you that Casey has learned more about me then you have even attempted to learn about me through our entire friendship. And now she has become one of my best friends… and I probably would do anything to make her happy… but that's not my reasoning for this." He explained to Sam, and maybe even a bit to me. "My reasoning for this is merely to make myself happy. Sam… you and I have fought constantly in the past three weeks while Casey and I haven't fought at all really. And as I stated… you were using our friendship to get dates with who knows who _while_ you were going out with Casey. But still… we don't get along anymore…" his glare merely intensified.

"Sam… I'd like to know something." I state, causing both Sam and Derek, along with Sam's date, to look over at me. "How far were you probably planning on going with her?"

Sam swallowed hard before merely shrugging. "Um…"

"Do you think I'm that easy?!" Sam's date hissed; I know her name… I just can't think of it at the moment. He turned to look at her, shrugging again. Her eyes blazed with anger at his shrug.

_**Derek's POV**_

Sam's really in for it now… you should never shrug when a girl asks you that question… never. I know what's bound to come soon.

"Is that the only reason you asked my out tonight?! I thought that you liked me!" she hissed angrily before yelling at him in some language that I don't know… all I know is it's an Asian language because that's were she comes from… Asia.

And now she's standing and yelling at him, throwing her hands in the air to show her frustration.

She's not even _half_ as beautiful as Casey is when she's angry. But… Casey's beautiful no matter what… even if she's sad. No matter what she'll always be beautiful in my eyes… I wonder what she looks like naked…

I need to stop thinking like that… one of these days this wandering mind of mine is going to get me into a lot of trouble…

"Ouch!" Sam cried out right after being slapped by his date before she turned and stalked off.

"Come on Case..." I reach out and place my hand on the small of her back without even realizing it. "Let's get out of here… Dinner will probably be done by the time we get home."

Casey sends Sam one last threatening glared before nodding and walking away with me.

Sam was eyeing us confusingly as we walked away. He seemed curious as to our actions towards each other. He never seen us getting along this well before… but that's not our fault… he's the one who's not been around all that often for the past three weeks. And when he has been around, we weren't together.

_**Casey's POV**_

I liked having Derek's hand on the small of my back… so, no matter what look Sam gave me, I didn't pull away from his touch.

Sam's just like every other guy I've ever dated, cheating on my, lying to me, cheating on me… and just wanting what I won't give him. I really thought he was different and I hadn't expected him to do this to me.

Sam hurt me just now… so I'm going to date as many guys as I possibly can to get back at him. Maybe that'll teach him that he had something good and shouldn't have thrown our relationship away. And then if he just so happens to come crawling back to me… I break his heart.

I just hope that any of the guys I go out with don't act like him… because I won't get into their bed with them, no matter how much they thy to get me to… especially if they try on the first date.

I hope they all kiss better than him too… he was a terrible kisser. I wonder if I'll ever be able to trust another guy after this… let alone fall in love with another guy… ever…

_**Derek's POV**_

"Case…" I began as we slowly made our way home. "Look… I'm sorry about what happened back there… You don't deserve to be treated like that. You deserve a lot better treatment than that… and him."

"Have you ever done that Derek?" she asked in a bitter tone.

"What? Cheated on a girl?" I asked, a bit surprised with her. "I may not stay with a girl for an extended period of time… but I do have the common decency to break up with them before going out with someone else. I wouldn't ever cheat on a girl… I was raised not to do that."

"What if I were your girlfriend? Would you cheat on me?!" she asked… bitterness seemed to just emanate from her at the moment.

I stepped in front of her, stopping her. I reached out and gently took hold of her arms. "Casey… if you were my girlfriend, I would never even attempt to do anything that stupid… or really anything that could hurt you. I hate seeing you sad or hurt… it kills me inside. You're my best friend… you know more about me than anyone else in this world does."

Casey stared hard at me for a moment. Her eyes blazed with anger and there was bitterness about her. I know she's not mad at me… but she wants someone to push her anger off on… and I'm the only one here.

"Then explain this to me…" she hissed at me. "Why did he cheat on me? Why would a guy like him do something like that, and a guy like you not?!"

Wait… a guy like me? What's that supposed to mean? I let out a heavy sigh. "Because he's an idiot." I explained. "And he was too stupid to realize how good he had it al this time… I mean, he had a beautiful girl like you… and he went and hurt you. Badly might I add."

Casey's eyes softened. "Beautiful?"

I smiled at her, letting go of her arms. "Yes, beautiful… didn't Sam ever tell you that you're beautiful?"

Casey shook her head lightly. "No, he never said anything that nice to me… not for a while now."

"Well… he should have been telling you that every day that he was with you. And if you were apart he should have call just to tell you that he loved you and that you're beautiful. If he were a smart man then he would have done that. He should have told you that you're the most beautiful girl that he'd ever seen in the entire world… I know I would have."

She smiled lightly at me. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?" she asked before her smile faded. "Or, are you just telling me that because you know it'll make me happier than I am now? You did tell Sam that you were willing to do anything to make me happy."

"Yes I do think you're beautiful. I think you're very beautiful. And I'd do anything yo make you happy… but this is true." My smile faded. "I just wish Sam hadn't done that to you. It must hurt really bad."

We started on our walk home once again.

"It does…" Casey finally stated. "But you're making the pain go away a little at a time. You're being nicer to me then Sam has in a very long while. I really doubt that this is the first time he's cheated on me though… I think I saw him with some red haired **guy** the other day. Who knows what kinds of diseases he could be carrying!"

Wait! The person I saw with Sam at first was a red guy.


	4. Chapter 4 Blown Away

**I'm sorry that I've not updated in a while. I've just been very busy. I'm trying to update may stories and will try and get this next chapter up soon for you all. Dasey chapter I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Dara Tavar**

* * *

**Blown Away**

_**Derek's POV**_

"I'm going to my room." Casey said as we walked into the house. She looked mad, and yet sad at the same time. "Thanks for taking me to the movies… I had fun… until the end that is."

I smiled at her, nodding before unwrapping my arm from around her shoulders. "Alright… well, if you need someone to talk too… you can always talk to me, you know where to find me."

She gave me a small smile and a slight nod. "Thanks…" she mumbled, heading up the stairs to her room.

I sighed, watching as she walked upstairs toward her room. How could Sam do such a thing to someone like Casey? I know that I'd never had been able to do something like that.

I look down, closing me eyes and shaking my head as I hear her door close and the lock click.

"Back from the movie I see." My dad stated as I walked into the kitchen. "How was it?"

"Fine… I guess." I responded with a sigh.

Dad nodded, watching me sit on the counter. He didn't say anything after that for a while.

Nora looked into the other room, leaning over in her seat. She sat straight, looking back over at me. "Where's Casey? Did she enjoy the movie too?"

I glanced at her, quickly looking down at my hands again. "She went upstairs to her room. And yeah… she told me that she liked the movie. That surprised me really… considering that it was a horror movie."

Nora looked questioningly at me. "A horror movie? But… Casey hates horror movies."

"Yeah… I know…" I said quietly, still looking down.

Dad and Nora traded a suspicious glance.

"Did the two of you eat anything?" Nora asked when they looked back at me, deciding not to ask any further questions about the matter.

"No… why?" I replied without looking up at them.

"We ordered some pizza. We're going to leave and pick it up. Can you handle watching the kid's for a while?" Dad asked. "If Casey stays in her room?"

"Yeah… sure…" I murmured, still not looking up at them.

"They should be in their rooms… I don't think they'll come out of their rooms either." Nora put in as they stood up and put their coats on. "They shouldn't be any trouble at all… hopefully."

"And Derek…" Dad waited till I looked up at him. "We're leaving with three children and two teenagers in the house… we'd like to return with no less children and no more teenagers."

I gave him a stressed smirk. "I guess I can handle that. I won't kill them if that's what you're hinting at. And I'm not going to throw a party either."

"Will Sam be joining us for dinner?" Dad asked after I looked down again.

I looked up immediately, my eyes filled with anger. I jumped down from the counter and walked over to where he stood. "Please… don't mention his name, ever. He is no longer welcomed here. And if he tries to join us for dinner… I'm throwing him out!"

"But he's your best friend… why would you do that?"

"He's** not** my best friend." I snapped at him through gritted teeth. "He's not even my friend. From this night on… he's my enemy."

"What happed between the two of you? This morning he was your friend, and now he's not…" Dad trailed off.

I shook my head slightly. "Let's just leave it at this… he hurt someone very close to me, very badly."

Nora looked over at me. "I don't think Casey would like you throwing her boyfriend out of the house very well."

I looked over at her. "Boyfriend…" I scoffed bitterly. I didn't say anything else, its up to Casey to tell them… not me.

When I didn't say anything more they turned away and left the house.

I walked in and sat down on the couch, turning on the TV and flipping through the channels.

I was just getting comfortable when someone rang the doorbell. Letting out an angry sigh I stood up and turned the TV off.

I opened up the door, but as soon as I did… I immediately wanted to slam it shut.

Sam was here… What did he want now? To break Lizzie's heart like he broke Casey's?

"What do you want?" I growled at him. "You're not welcome here. Turn around and leave, please." I faked a smile, trying my hardest not to punch him in the face. I gave him a threatening glare when he took a step into the house."I'm here to see my girlfriend… why else would I be here?" Sam replied.

"Your **ex** girlfriend, you mean." I snapped.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Okay… my ex-girlfriend. I wanna talk to Casey for a while."

"She doesn't want to speak to you." I growled again.

He looked at me strangely. "I think that it's more like you who doesn't want me to talk to her."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked a bit bitterly.

"Oh Derek… don't tell me that you didn't think that I'd not noticed." He rolled his eyes at me.

"Noticed what?" I snapped at him.

"The fact that you like her."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to sound clueless like Idon't know what he'd talking about.

"Are you high?! This is Casey we're talking about. She doesn't like me in that sort of way!"

"I never said **she** liked **you**… I said _you_ liked _her_."

"And your proof is where?"

"I've noticed the way you've been acting around her. I noticed how you looked at her… how you touched her. The way you became so mad when you found out that I'd cheated on her." He flashed an evil smirk.

I glared at him, but quiet… We both knew that he was right. I did like Casey, and now he knew it.

"You're just mad because I've slept with her and you haven't." Sam smiled wider. "And you know that you can't."

"Shut up!" I yelled angrily. "Just shut up and get out of my house right now!"

"You know that it's true. You know that the slut and I have done it."

I couldn't take it anymore; I punched him in the face. I wasn't as hard as I could hit him, but it was enough to hurt him a bit. "**Never** call Casey a slut!" I growled at him through gritted teeth. If you do… I swear I'll come after you… and you'll regret it."

Sam rubbed his cheek, wiping the blood away from the corner of his lips. He then wiped the blood on his pants so that it wasn't on his fingers."You don't want me as an enemy Derek…"

"No…" I shook my head at him, smirking evilly. "_You_ don't want _me_ as an enemy. I am one of the most popular guys in school… other people will listen to me."

Sam swallowed hard. He was about to say something, but I merely cut him off.

"Don't start Sam. I don't wanna hear it." I stated seriously. "And I swear to you, right here, right now… this very instant…If you say one more thing to me that is even in the least bit insulting to Casey, I'll hit you again… and it will be even harder."

"Like the fact that she's a whore…" Sam began evilly.

This time I hit him right square-dab in the eye… the left one to be exact. And this time I hit him so hard that he actually stumbled backward a couple steps… so that he only had one more step before being outside. "I said, 'Don't start Sam'… and I'd meant it then, and I still mean it now."

Sam winced in pain as stood up straight. "What… are you trying to impress your little girlfriend?" he hissed.

"Get out!" I yelled angrily, staring him down. I was well aware of the fact that he is afraid of me.

"What's the problem?" Dad asked as he and Nora walked up to the house carrying pizza and pop. "Is everything alright boys?"

I continued to glare at Sam. "There's no problem. Everything's fine… Sam was just leaving."

Sam took a deep breath. "Fine… if those are the last words you have to say to me… then I'll go." Sam turned away and stepped out of the house.

"Wait…" I called after Sam. I glared at him as he turned around to look at me.

"I'm going inside now." Nora stated, looking between Sam and I. "I'm just going to go and set the table." With that Nora disappeared into the house.

Dad was still watching us, not wanting to go in the house yet. He was kind of afraid that I would hit him, he could already see where I'd hit him… and he wanted to know why we were fighting.

"What is it Derek?" Sam finally asked.

I glared at him. "I'm warning you right now… If you ever say one more thing like what you were saying about Casey a little while ago… I'll hit you twice as hard as I did. No… I'll put you in the hospital."

"Is that a threat Derek?" he asked.

"No, that's a promise."

"That all?" he asked.

"One more thing…" I gritted my teeth. "_**Never**_ come back."

Sam took a deep breath, walking away from the house.

"See you at school tomorrow!" I called out after him.

He stopped, but didn't say anything. I smirked evilly to myself as I watched him move over to his car and climb in it, then drove away.

"What did he say about Casey?" Dad asked after Sam had driven away. He eyed me curiously.

"Derek…" I heard Casey's voice come from behind me.

"Yeah…" I turned to look at her. Her head was pulled back, she'd looked like she recently washed her face… and her eyes were red as if she'd been crying. I knew she had been. "What is it?" I asked a bit worried.

"Can I talk to you… in private?" she asked.

I glanced at Dad, but quickly looked back at Casey. "Sure…"

She smiled at me lightly before reaching out to grab my hand. She pulled me back into the house and toward the stairs.

"Where are the two of you going?" Edwin asked, watching us as we walked to the steps.

"I want to talk to Derek for a minute or two." Casey told him.

"But we're going to start eating right now…" Lizzie put in.

"Well, start without us. We'll only be a little while."

With that Casey pulled me up the stairs and toward her bedroom. Alone… with Casey… in her bedroom… I don't like the thought of that… who knows what I might do… I can't promise that I won't like, jump her or something like that…

Casey pulled me into her room, shutting the door behind us. "Why did you do that Derek?" she asked, locking the door.

"Do what?" I asked, not quite sure what she meant.

"Stand up for me when Sam said those terrible things…" she looked into my eyes as we sat down on her bed.

I shifted a bit beside of her. "You heard that? All of it?"

"Yes, all of it…" Casey stated quietly. She looked down at my hand, which she was still holding on to.

I swallowed hard. "Every word?"

She looked into my eyes. "Yes, every word… Do you really like me that much?"

"More than you'll ever know…" I muttered quietly, thinking she hadn't heard me. I looked down to escape her eyes.

She had heard me though… she's heard every word that I'd said.

"Show me…" she whispered.

I looked up at her, she was being serious. But how was I to show her how much I like her… without making her upset with me? I don't think she would like e kissing her all that well. But… what if she did?

Well, there's only one way to find out. I leaned forward and brushed my lips faintly against hers, just barely kissing her. Her lips were soft and tasted like strawberries. I leaned farther in, deepening the kiss.

Wait! She's kissing me back!

I quickly pulled back, but Casey moved with me. She did not want to end this kiss. I didn't either… but now I kind f wanted to talk to her.

I slowly opened my mouth and slid my tongue toward her lips. I thought that she would surely pull away and yell at me for trying something like that with her… but she didn't. Instead… the moment my tongue touched her lips she opened her own mouth.

There came a knock on the door… making Casey pull away.

"What is it?" Casey asked, looking over at the door.

"Mom and George want to know if you two are almost done talking." Lizzie called out.

"Tell them we'll be down in a minute." Casey replied.

Lizzie walked away from the door and we listened as she descended the stairs until we could no longer hear her.

Casey sighed and stood up. "I guess we should go down there now… before they come after us themselves."

I stood up and pulled her into another kiss. "I guess we should." I stated we we'd pulled apart.

Casey reached out and took my hand, pulling me out of her room and toward the steps. When we'd reached a spot where someone would see us she let go of my had and we made our way to the dinner table.

We then sat down, across from each other, at the table.

I was going to be in a good mood that night, it was looking to be a very promising night. Or so I thought… I never planned on anyone asking questions though. But they were going to … and they were going too soon.

Edwin looked up at me. "So… why hasn't Sam joined us for dinner? I'm surprised that you didn't ask him to stay."


	5. Chapter 5 Hero

**I'm so sorry that I've not updated this sooner. Its just been really crazy for me lately and I've not had the time. I hope that you all have been anticipating to getting to the Dasey part of the story, because its finally come. I hope that you all don't like Sam too much, because I have Casey kind of picking on him a bit in this one, mostly in the end though. It's mostly written in Casey's POV, but the very beginning is in Derek's. I just want to warn you now, I have already written the next three chapters, and have put a lot of Dasey into it. There's going to be a bit of a conflict going on between Derek and Casey, but you don't have to worry about that until you read chapter nine that's the chapter that I'm working on currently. I hope to update this again soon, but I also have a couple more stories that I need to update.**

**I don't really like this chapter all that well, and can't wait til I can get to updating the next on, at least I think its the next one, I may be wrong... but I think you'll like it. There's a ton of Dasey in this one, not as much as the later chapters, but there's enough. I let myself get carried away with this one and I put in more Dasey than I had originally planned on putting into it.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter, I'll try not to make you wait so long for the next chapter!**

**Dara Tavar**

**

* * *

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**Hero**

_**Derek's POV**_

I glanced at Casey, I wasn't sure what to say to him.

"Why were the two of you fighting?" Lizzie asked, causing me to look at her, pulling my Eyes away from Casey's.

I looked into Lizzie's eyes with such intensity I think she flinched. "He said some cruel, rude, and inconsiderate things about someone very close to me and I wouldn't stand for it. He crossed the line by saying those things about my best friend… I tell her everything and I wasn't planning on letting him get away with saying those things. And he hurt her… badly." I seethed.

"But what about Casey? He's her boyfriend." Edwin put it, watching me curiously. "Don't you think she may have wanted him to stay for dinner maybe?" He was about to say something else, but the glare that I suddenly gave him was enough to make him shut his mouth and look down.

I couldn't stop the scoff that escaped my lips.

Edwin suddenly looked up at me and I realized my mistake. I swallowed hard and looked at Casey, asking her with my eyes to say something.

She returned the look, raising an eyebrow, wondering what I would say to that.

I shook my head, know that she was wondering if I would tell them or not.

I stared into her azure blue eyes. She was begging me with her eyes to tell them so that she wouldn't have to.

All eyes were on us, wondering what silence conversation was going on between the two of us that no one else could comprehend.

Finally, I knew I had to break the silence, or else this would go on until someone else did.

"I'm sorry Case…" I began, "I can't tell them. It's not my place… But if you want me to, then I guess I will."

And that was true, so very, very true. It wasn't my place to tell them, but if she asked me to then I knew I would do it in a heartbeat. I wouldn't be able to tell her no, I wouldn't e able to live with myself if I told her no. It was impossible. As if my world would end if I told her no, as if I would just stop existing.

Casey sighed and nodded once. "You're right. Its my place to tell them, not yours." She tore her eyes away from mine to look at everyone else for just a moment before her eyes returned to mine. My eyes stayed trained on hers, even while she was looking away. "I broke up with Sam." She stated flatly, not a trace of regret in her words.

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on Casey. "Why?," "What happened?," and "Aw!" could be head from those at the table.

"Why this time?" Lizzie asked, rolling her eyes. "And how long do you suppose until the two of you are going to get back together again?"

Casey's look turned a bit icy when she looked at Lizzie, who seemed about as stunned at everyone else at the table, other than me, was at her look. "We're not going to get back together." She looked back into my eyes, her look softening, as if she was about to smile at me. "When Derek took me to the movies, after it was over… I caught him cheating on me."

_**Casey's POV**_

"Sam?! Cheating on you! That doesn't sound like him." Mom stated sympathetically. She shook her head lightly. "With who? Who did you see him with?"

"One of the new foreign exchange students, she's Asian." Derek put in. "She looked really upset whenever…" he trailed off, looking over at Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti, deciding to change what he was planning on saying. "Lets just put it that she was really upset when she found out the real reason behind him asking her out. She even slapped him."

George and Mom seemed to get just what he wasn't saying for they merely nodded, as if deciding on what to say to that.

"Oh…" George finally murmured quietly.

"So… is Casey the friend you were talking about? The one he hurt badly? I caught that you'd said 'she' when speaking of your friend." Edwin put in.

Derek nodded once, staring into my eyes as if he was unable to look away. "Yeah, she is."

"So…" George began, breaking the silence that he must have found just a tab bit awkward, "what exactly did Sam say about Casey?"

That seemed to be what broke Derek out of the trance I was beginning to think he was in, for his eyes flickered to his dad before he swallowed hard and stared nervously into my eyes again. I knew he didn't mind tell his dad what Sam said, that way Sam would really be banned from the house, but the thought of saying those things in front of Marti is what he didn't want to do.

"Sam said something about Casey?" Lizzie asked, anger in her eyes.

"But why would Sammy do that?" Marti asked in her small, high pitched voice.

"Because Sam's not very nice anymore." I stated, still watching Derek, and not caring how many questions it would raise. "And Derek is… He helped me, even though I was mad and said some hurtful things to him on our walk home that I really shouldn't have. And Derek, for that I'm sorry… you didn't deserve anything I said to you and I realize now that I never should have said any of it."

I wanted to have this conversation in private, maybe even show him how sorry I really was… physically, in a way that he might understand more than simple words.

He finally gave me a small shrug, smiling lightly, but trying to hide it. "That's alright. You were angry and I understand why you said it. I realized then, as I do now, that you were upset and needed to take your anger out on someone… I was the only one there. And I wasn't about to let you go back to Sam, for fear that you might end up in jail for attempt at murder." He replied, as if what I'd said on our walk home hadn't affected him. But I'd know it had, I'd seen the hurt in his eyes, and that's why I'd made myself shut up.

I still wanted to have this conversation in private, but felt the need to say something right then and there, as he must have felt. But I held it off for the moment and pushed away from the table. "Can I talk to you for a moment? In the kitchen…"

Derek nodded and stood up, following me into the kitchen and not protesting when I closed the doors behind us.

"That may be, but I had no right to say those things when you've been so kind to me." I began, almost immediately. "I'm sorry. I don't know how many times I have to say it until you believe me, but I am unconditionally sorry and I'll say it a thousand times it I have to."

Derek pressed his lips to mine. "I know that you're sorry, and I don't care." He stated, holding me tight in his arms, but not tight enough to hurt me. "You could tell me those thousand times that you're sorry and it wouldn't mean a thing to me because I've already forgiven you."

I sighed and looked down to escape his eyes, holding him in my arms. "I don't deserve you…" I whispered.

Derek seemed to stiffen a bit at that. It scared me a bit and I thought he might pull away from me, but he didn't, he merely pulled me closer. "Look at me." He whispered. I met his gaze before he continued. "Please, never say that. If one of us doesn't deserve the other, than it's I who doesn't deserve you."

I sighed. "I'll never tell you that I don't deserve you if you never tell me that you don't deserve me. Do we have a deal?" I asked.

He sent me my favorite smirk. "As long as we seal it with a kiss." He whispered.

I smiled at him. "Is there any other way?"

He pressed his lips to mine. He was soft and gentle. He seemed reserved, as if he were holding back and not wanting to go too far.

I wasn't as controlled as he was. I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my body closer to his, deepening the kiss farther than he had before.

I felt him smile against my lips. He reached up to undo my hold on his neck, placing my arms by my sides. Then he reached up to place his hands on my face, pulling our faces apart. He gave me one last peck on the lips before taking a step away from me.

I blinked a few times, desperately trying to get my breath back. "What?"

He smiled at me. "Not now."

"And why not?"

"Because, anyone could walk in here and see you and I kissing… and what do you think they would do if they saw that?"

I shrugged. "Try and keep us away from each other. Not that I care because I'd find a way to get back to you anyways. And you're almost eighteen you'll be able to do what ever you want and see whoever you want."

He laughed lightly. "I may be able to do that… but you my dearest cannot until you're eighteen, which won't be for another year."

"Crap…" I mumbled under my breath. "You have a point. But I don't care, I'd find a way back to you, even if it would mean dropping out of school and running away."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't let you." He stated stubbornly. "You're going to finish school and go to college that way you'll have a good paying job that you love. I won't allow you to throw your future away just because of me. I'm not worth it."

I pulled him closer to me again. "Oh, but you are worth it. You're worth that and so much more."

He pressed his lips to mine one last time, and I missed him immediately when he pulled away. I not only missed his soft and gentle lips against mine, but also the warmth of his body when my body was pressed to his. It sent waves of surging heat all throughout my body when we were so close.

"I have a feeling that they'll be waiting for us." He stated in his quiet voice.

I sent him a grin. "So…"

He laughed lightly and reached up to gently run the tip of his forefinger down my jaw line until he reached my chin. He slid his finger up to trace my lips, heat surging through my body just by his simple touch.

"You're too dangerous for me." Derek stated, sending me my favorite crooked smirk. "You're going to be the death of me, I guarantee that."

I stuck out my lower lip, pouting at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked in a small quiet voice.

He laughed lightly in his velvet smooth voice. "It means that you're going to push me too far one of these day, I can barely stand to be around you as it is without having to keep myself from even thinking about jumping you or attacking you, and you're just making it so much harder for me to control myself. George and Nora are going to catch us one of these days and they'll kill me for it because they love you and they'll think that I'm the cause of everything and that you had nothing to do with it. I'm dangerous Casey, and you apparently can't choose good people to be around. I'm dangerous for you, I'll ruin your good streak… but then again, you're dangerous for me. You're going to turn me into a _boyfriend_," he made a face at the word, now he was just messing with me, "and that's something new to me. I've never really been a boyfriend… just a date. And the worst part is, at school I'll have to act like there's nothing going on between us… and the same goes for here at home… I won't be able to touch you like a boyfriend should, hold you while were watching romantic movies on the couch. Are you sure you want that? A boyfriend that can't do anything like that… that can't introduce you to his family, or act like a man to get your dad's approval, or suck up to your mom to get her to love me. It won't be like a normal relationship… it'll be a secret."

I thought it over for a minute before sending him a grin. "I like secrets." I whispered before placing my forefinger over my lips. "Shh… I can keep a secret if you can."

He grinned and pretended that he was zipping his lips then put an invisible lock on and tossed the unseen key over his shoulder.

I smiled and slowly walked closer to him, noticing how he watched my hips sway.

I pressed my lips to his, he was unresponsive, so I pulled away to look at him. "What?"

He pointed to his closed lips and shrugged, then pretended to open them, reminding me that he 'locked' them.

I laughed lightly. "That's alright… I have the spare." I whispered, pretending to unlock his lips and unzip them.

"Good… I didn't want to stay like that forever." He responded in a mocking tone.

I laughed, but it was cut short when he pressed his lips to mine.

He pulled away when he knew I might get carried away.

Derek hugged me tight for a moment. I held him close as well, not wanting the moment to end. I rested my head on his shoulder. He kissed me lightly on the forehead before laying his head on top of mine.

My thoughts returned to our previous conversation. No matter how many times he said it, I still hadn't convinced myself that he'd entirely forgiven me.

"Derek…" I began, "I am truly sorry for what I said before."

I heard him let out a small sigh. "As I told you before, I've already forgiven you."

"I know, I know, I know… I realize that you've convinced yourself that you've forgiven me… but I'm not entirely convinced yet." I whispered tears forming in my eyes at the thought of what I told him. "But I just feel horrible about that whole 'a guy like you' comment…" I couldn't finish, my voice cracked and tears ran down my cheeks. "You may be able to forgive me, but I can't forgive myself!"

Derek held me for a moment before we heard the sound of chairs being pushed away from the table. He let go of me to wipe away my tears.

We heard the sound of someone walking up the steps and the sound of the TV turning on.

I couldn't stop the tears though… they just kept coming. Usually when the water works start is when Derek splits, never having liked tears very much, but he surprised me by pulling me against his chest.

Derek leaned closer, to whisper in my ear. "Let it out. I don't care who comes in here, as long as you're crying, my shoulder is available."

We stood like that for a while, as I attempted to quiet my sobs, I knew that if I continued crying someone would hear and come to check on me to see what was wrong.

There was a light knock on the door. "Are you alright?" Lizzie asked through the door. "It sounds like someone's crying…"

I frantically tried to wipe away the tears, but it wasn't easy because Derek seemed to refuse to let me go. But I was fine with that, having him hold me in his arms made me feel better.

I gave up and buried my face in his chest as Lizzie opened the door.

"Casey… are you alright?" she asked.

I nodded, but didn't pull my face away from Derek's chest to look at her. "Perfectly fine…" I mumbled, but I knew I wouldn't convince her of that because my voice was cracked.

"No you're not." She stated stubbornly. "You were crying, I can tell by the sound of your voice."

I pulled away from Derek, wiping away my tears. I wasn't crying any longer, and of that I was glad. "Well, I'm not crying right now, now am I?"

"No, not right now… but you were." She pointed out.

Derek stood close to me, just in case I broke down again and began to cry once again.

I looked over at him, his shirt wet from my tears. "Maybe you should change your shirt…" I suggested.

He looked down at it and shrugged. "I'll live."

I sighed before we walked back into the dining room.

Mom looked up at me, immediately noticing that my eyes were red. "Were you crying? If it was about what happened with Sam then I'm sorry, but you shouldn't shed a tear for him. He doesn't deserve it if what you told us is true. But I am sorry about the two of you breaking up."

I glanced at Derek. "I'm not." I looked into Mom's eyes so she wouldn't get suspicious. "If I hadn't have dumped his sorry butt… then I wouldn't be able to give the guy that I like now a shot. And also if I hadn't, then I'd still be in a horrible relationship that's been coming to an end now for a few weeks."

Mom looked at little surprised by my choice of words. Most of the time I never said anything bad or mean about anyone… no matter what they did to me.

"Who do you like now?" Lizzie asked, giving Derek a suspicious glance before staring into my eyes. "Does Derek know who he is?"

Derek looked over at me. "Do I know?" he asked, one eyebrow arching.

I rolled my eyes at him. "You should… I'm pretty sure that I made it perfectly clear while we were talking."

Derek smiled widely and his eyes lit up. "Oh _him._ Yeah, he's a good guy."

"Well… who is he?" Edwin asked, watching Derek and I suspiciously.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out." I smirked at him before looking back at Derek. "Well, maybe not never. You might find out… eventually."

Derek chuckled lightly before picking up his pizza off the table, everyone other than me being done and off doing something else. "Yeah, but not tonight." He stated before taking a bite.

"Then why does Derek know?" Edwin asked, really beginning to annoy me with his little game of twenty questions.

Mom and George had gone to their room by now, since Derek and I were out of the kitchen and opened up an opportunity for them to get away from us, Lizzie sat at the couch watching TV, and Marti had run upstairs to play one of her childish games that she loved so much.

"Because I know the guy, and Case wanted to know if he was a good guy or not." Derek eyed Edwin for moment. "Why do you care anyways Ed?"

Edwin rolled his eyes, as if the answer were obvious. "Because there's nothing better to do."

Derek and I quietly finished our dinner before we excused ourselves to our bedrooms.

I walked in and sat down at my computer. I knew that I needed to talk to Derek, I needed to tell him that Sam had been lying to him earlier.

I quickly typed up a message, it would be the one thing that Derek would learn about me for the day.

'_Derek, Sam was lying. We never had sex, I wouldn't… I'm a virgin. Please trust me.'_

I sent the message and waited for Derek to respond, fearful of what he might say. It had been a couple minutes and I was worried that he wasn't going to say anything but finally a message popped up on my computer screen.

I smiled as I read it.

'_Case, I'm really glad to hear that. And I do trust you. You don't realize how much I've been worrying about that… how many times his words have run through my head. If we were together, then I would wait for you to be ready instead of trying to push you into it or take advantage of you… You mean too much to me for me to even think of doing something like that to you.'_

I stood up, shutting my monitor off before walking out of my room. I walked toward his door.

His door was opened up halfway, so I decided to peek in and see what he was doing.

He wasn't at his desk, but rather laying on his bed and staring at his ceiling.

"Can I come in?" I asked quietly.

He smiled as he turned his head to look at me. "Of course… my door's always open for you, any time you want it to be." He stated, sitting up as I walked into the room. He waited patiently for me to sit next to him.

I smiled at him before closing and locking his door. I walked over and sat down next to him, reaching over to pull him into a kiss. He wasn't unwilling as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself closer to him.

He returned the kiss, wrapping his arms about my waist.

I pulled away and smiled at him, running my hand though his hair.

He sent me a grin. "So you and Sam… didn't do anything?"

I shook my head. "No we didn't. If he's that lousy of a kisser then he's probably not that good in bed either." I teased.

"Do you think I'm a good kisser?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I flashed him a smirk. "You're a _very_ good kisser."

Derek sent me my favorite crooked smirk, pulling me into another kiss.

"Derek…" Lizzie's voice came through the door, along with a knock, "is Casey in there with you?"

Derek pulled away to regard her question, still staring into my eyes. "Yeah, she is… Why do you want her?"

"No, I don't… but Mom does. She wants Casey to help her with something." Lizzie responded.

"Alright Lizzie, I'll be down in a minute." I told her. I looked into Derek's eyes. "I guess I'd better go and see what she wants… I'll be back later."

I pulled him into one last kiss before standing up to leave him. I missed his lips and warmth already. But I smiled at the thought of being with him tonight… maybe even all night.


	6. Chapter 6 It Must Be Love

**I know, I've not updated in a while... and believe me, I've been working on it. Wow, I hope you guys like Derek's point of veiw... because I didn't realize it until a minute ago that this whole chapter is just him. The next chapter is all Casey's point of veiw. And I'm pretty sure that I just switch between their point of veiws by chapters from here on out. So, I couldn't resist, but in the next chapter I kind of made Derek out to be a romantic. He's really not all that much like the Derek from tv in it, I actually made it so that he _has_ morals. But, for that you'll have to wait. School's going to be over in a little over a month, so I should be able to update more frequlently then. Or at least that's what I'm hoping for. I'll try and update sooner when it somes to the next chapter instead of waiting a month. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I tried to make it long for you without getting too carried away, and George is in it. I don't have George and Nora in my stories often, but he's actually in this chapter a lot, and Nora is mentioned a couple times. Well, I won't keep you anylonger... Enjoy!**

**Dara Tavar**

**It Must Be Love**

_**Derek's POV**_

I made my way to the door as Casey left. I watched her walk down the stairs and disappear from my view.

II had only been standing there for, at the most, one minute when Edwin came out of his room and toward me.

"What are you doing Derek?" Edwin asked, eyeing me cautiously as I turned to look at him. He looked down for a moment before talking again. "Are you busy?"

I stood up straighter. "No Ed, why?" I asked a bit confused.

"Well…" he seemed to not know what to say. "I'd like to talk to you about… about, um… uh…"

"Out with it Ed!" I demanded.

He glanced up at me before looking down again. "Girls…"

I backed up into my room a little, leaving the door open for him to come in. I put one hand on the door knob and when he didn't move, I motioned for him to enter.

Edwin watched me for a moment before slowly moving into my room.

After he'd come in, I closed the door and moved to my computer desk. He sat on the edge of my bed.

"I thought that I should come to you… knowing that you can get any girl you please…" Edwin took a deep breath, not sure if he should continue and tell me what wa son his mined or not. He looked up at me, swallowing hard. "Have you ever been in love?" he finally asked.

I thought it over for a moment. "No, not ever… before now that is, but I'm beginning to think that I might just be." I thought back to ever girl I've ever been with. After one kiss I didn't think about them much more. But with Casey… I kissed her once… and now she's all I can think about, ever since that first kiss in her room. Every thought I have, relates to her somehow.

"How do you know?" Edwin eyed me questioningly.

"I'm not sure if I am… but I'm going to talk to Dad about it. I'll ask him how he knew that he was in love, you know." I looked at Edwin seriously. "But I kissed her, and she's all I can think about. And that's something new to me… I've never felt the same way with any other girl." I glanced at the wall that lies in between mine and Casey's rooms before looking at Edwin.

"So… you could tell just by one kiss?" Edwin looked at me thoughtfully. "I never thought you, of all people, would fall in love… not you. I'm not trying to offend you or anything, it's just…" he trailed off.

I gave Edwin a reassuring smile. "With the way I would date… I don't blame you. But, I really do think that I am in love with her. When she first said hello to me… I knew she was different than all the other girls I've ever met."

"But… what if you like a girl that you couldn't be with? A girl that you couldn't have? And you knew that you couldn't be with her, ever…"

I leaned back and closed my eyes. "Why? Do you like someone that you can't have?"

"Well…" Edwin hesitated, causing me to look at him.

A smirk was forming on my lips. "Ed… do you like Lizzie?"

Edwin's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. He began to stammer, trying to think of what to say. "Um… uh… well…"

I couldn't resist the smirk now. "You do, don't you Edwin?"

Edwin's eyes took on a completely fearful look and I could tell that he was having trouble swallowing. That was as much of a yes that I needed.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that the girl I think I'm in love with… I can't have, no, I shouldn't have?"

Edwin's eyes widened even more, if that were even possible. "Are you trying to tell me that this girl is… Casey?"

I smiled lightly. "Well, is that what you wanted to know?"

Edwin blinked a few times before he found his voice again. "_Is_ the girl Casey?"

"I'm not telling you… But, the girl is someone that I shouldn't be with because I know that a few people wouldn't like it. At least one person in this house would go crazy."

"Emily… maybe…" Edwin suggested.

I rolled my eyes at him, quickly losing patience. I had to admit, he seemed determined to find out who she was. "Ed… I'd like to talk to Dad now, if you don't mind."

Edwin shook his head, as if trying to clear it. He moved over to the door. "Thanks Derek… I found out everything that I needed to know… I think."

Edwin opened the door and stepped into the hall.

"Hey Ed…" I called after him, standing up and moving closer to the door. "You're welcome… but I'm gonna need the tape recorder, ok?" I asked, holding out my hand.

Edwin swallowed slowly. "What tape recorder?"

"Give it up Ed, I want it… now." I looked as serious as I could at the moment, but there was still the partial smirk that I was attempting to hide from him. "Do you really want Lizzie finding out that you like her because she listened to a tape recorder?"

Edwin sighed, but pulled out a tape recorder and handed it to me.

I took the tape out and returned the tape recorder to him. "You know that I hate it so when you record our talks."

Edwin nodded and walked over to Lizzie's door. He slowly knocked three times, halted for a moment, then knocked quickly five times before she opened the door.

The moment I saw her, I sent her the biggest smirk I could muster. "You're not getting the tape this time." I called out, holding it up so that she knew that I had it. She gave me a large and angered frown before whispering something to Edwin. "And Edwin… you're not allowed to tell her anything, got it?" I raised an eyebrow, my smirk hidden once again.

He cringed a little. "Fine…" he murmured finally, after I gave him a threatening glare.

He moved into Lizzie's room as she glared at me. I only smiled, shaking my head lightly. The boy may like her, and would do nearly anything to please her and make her happy… but he was terrified of me.

Lizzie closed her door after giving me one last glare.

I smiled and moved down the hall. I walked down the steps and proceeded to look for Dad.

Casey and Nora were in the living room, looking at some papers. I wasn't sure about what they were… but Casey did seem to be concentrating on whatever they said, looking from one paper to another, and then pointing something out to Nora. Nora would nod and scribble something down on a notepad in her hand. Their work was silent, so you could almost tell what the voices, Edwin and Lizzie, above were saying.

I moved into the kitchen to find Dad, looking at papers having to do with the new case that he'd just gotten today.

"Um… Dad?" I began, walking over to him. "Do you have a minute?"

Dad looked up, obviously going to tell me no, but saw the serious look on my face and seemed to quickly change his mind. "Uh, sure Derek. What is it?"

"Well… I wanted to know how you knew that you were in love."

Dad blinked a few times. "Why do you want to know Derek?"

"I'm writing a term paper on the subject." My voice was dripping with sarcasm. I looked seriously at him and he nodded, seeming to get my sarcasm and serious look.

"Do you think that you may be in love?"

"If I didn't, that I wouldn't be here asking you about it." At Dad's annoyed looked I sighed. "Yeah…"

Dad smiled happily. "In that case… sit down." He pulled out the seat next to him and motioned for me to sit next to him in the seat.

I walked over and sat down. "Well… can you help me to find out if I am or not? I'd really like to know."

"Well, lets start with your first kiss… or have you even kissed her yet?" Dad raised an eyebrow, looking into my eyes.

"Yeah… we have." I stated quietly, looking away from him.

"And every girl you've kissed before has your first kiss with them felt the same? Or was your first kissed with this girl different? Wait, what's her name?" he asked.

"I'd rather know if I am in love with her before I go telling who she is." I looked back at Dad. "But no… out of every girl that I've ever kissed, my first kiss with her was completely different. After one kiss with a girl, I don't think about them for hours at a time… but with her…" I paused, trying to find the correct words. "Well, I kissed her, and I can't think of anything other than her. Nothing that I thought was important matters anymore, only her. What I thought was the most important thing yesterday, seems like nothing now." I looked into my Dad's eyes, wondering what he would have to say to that.

He gave me a proud look. "And whenever you touch her, or she touches you… do you feel anything?"

I nodded. "But she's my complete opposite; we don't have anything in common. What about that?" I asked.

"Well, then she completes you. If she's your opposite, then she is everything that you are not." He gave me a faint smile. "And when you're around her, do you act like yourself?"

I shook my head. "We used to fight ever time we saw each other, but then we tried getting along … and well, it worked. We don't fight anymore… and I've gotten more feelings toward her."

"Wait, _more_ feelings? Then you've had feelings for her… for how long?"

"Ever since she first said hello to me. I knew that I liked her, but it wasn't that big a deal. I like a lot of girls, but somehow, I knew this time was different."

"Have you ever acted like yourself around her?"

I shook my head. "I used to show off and do stupid things to try and impress her, but she just got mad at me… so, I started picking fights with her."

He gave me a questioning look. "Alright… if she asked you to stop dating like you do, would you do it?"

I nodded. It was the only response I had to that. If Casey asked me to never date another girl again then I wouldn't, as long as she would promise to be mine, and only mine, for the rest of our lives.

"What would you do to make her happy? Anything that she ever asked of you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as if he were deciding something.

I nodded once again. "Anything…"

"Alright, this is the last and final question I have for you. This question will really tell me if you're in love or not. If you say yes, you love her… if you say not, you don't love her." Dad waited until I looked him in the eye. "Would you give your life just to save hers?" he asked, thinking that my answer would be no.

My eyes widened and I swallowed hard. The answer was indeed, yes. If Casey were going to die and I had the chance to save her by giving my own life, then I would do it in a heartbeat.

Dad's eyes widened a bit. "Your silence means yes, doesn't it?"

I was quiet for a moment, thinking of what to say. Finally, I nodded slowly. "If I could save her life, by giving my own… then I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Dad was quiet, the shock creeping over him.

"First I'll be cold, and then suddenly I'm hot. I know that I'm not, but it feels like I'm on fire by a simple touch of her hand. What a pain I've got. Is there nothing I can do? She's all I ever want; look at what I'm going through! Something's really wrong all right… at night she's all I think about. I can't really sleep until the sun's come up again. I see her in my dreams; I hold her close to me… what else could this be?" I asked.

"It must be love…" Dad mumbled, almost under his breath. His eyes were proud and he sent me the biggest grin I think I've ever seen on his face. "I never thought I'd see the day were you fell in love."

I can't believe it… I'm in love with Casey. And the worst part is, we can't be together! And if we were together, then I'm sure everyone would be screaming incest or something like that. But, since when do I care what everyone else thinks? Never, that's when. Who cares what other people think, we're not blood related. So, it's not really incest, right?

Dad was going on about something, not that I was paying attention.

Blah, blah, blah, will you tell me who she is… blah, blah, blah, you know you're in love with her… blah, blah, blah, are you listening… blah, blah, blah… I truly wasn't listening to him. Sometimes a word or two would sink in after a moment.

"Who is she?"

I looked at Dad, snapping out of the… trance, sure, we'll call it a trance… that I was in. "I'd really rather not. I'd prefer knowing if she has the same feelings for my first before I go saying who she is."

Dad looked a little disappointed. Finally, he smiled. "Casey! Are you done yet?"

Casey walked into the room. "Yeah, why?"

"This may shock you… but Derek is in love." Dad informed her. "And he won't tell me who the girl is. So, I'd like to know if you are aware of the name of this mystery girl."

Casey sent a glare towards me. "You're in love?"

Oh! She looks kind of jealous; she's beautiful when she's upset. She gets all flustered and she sends you an innocent glare… she can't really pull of the _evil_ look that she always used to say I have. "Yes, I am." I stated, attempting to hide the smirk that threatened to spread across my face.

Her eyes flared with anger and jealousy. "With who?!" She's really upset now, doesn't she get that she _is_ the girl that I'm in love with?

She merely glared at me, apparently not.

I couldn't help but smile at her. "I think that you would approve of her. I'm sure that the two of you get along just fine."

Casey's eyes narrowed. "I highly doubt that." She scoffed bitterly. "Can I talk to you, in private, please?" she asked, faking a smile and trying to be polite about this all.

I nodded and followed her into the den. She closed the door as soon as I was in the room and made sure that it was locked.

"Who is she Derek? How long did you think that you could hide her from me?" she asked, anger flared in her eyes, or was that jealousy? "How long did you think that you could lead me on before I found out?"

"I'm not hiding her from you." I replied. "You can see her anytime you want to; all you have to do is ask. I'm not leading you on either, so don't accuse me of it."

"Alright," Casey crossed her arms over her chest, "I want to see her now."

"Now? That's soon… you sure that you want to see her now?" I tried to hide my smile from her; she didn't seem to notice it.

"Yes, now." Casey's jaw tightened, it was obvious that she was jealous. The best part was, though she didn't realize it, she was jealous of herself.

"Okay… now it is." I glanced around the room, getting a curious glare from Casey. I finally saw what I was looking for. I walked over and picked the object up, keeping it behind my back and out of Casey's view.

"What do you have in your hand?" she asked, a little annoyed. She raised an eyebrow as I merely smiled at her.

I walked up to her slowly and stood before her. I revealed a mirror from behind my back and handed it to her. She stared at it for a moment before turning it over in her hands as if looking for a clue. She finally looked up at me, sending me a confused look as to why I'd given her a mirror. As if it weren't obvious.

She stared at me, almost all of her anger replaced by confusion. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

I let out a small chuckle, unable to hold it in. I smiled, shaking my head lightly. "You look in it. What did you think I wanted you to do with it?"

She looked into the mirror, still obviously confused. "Now what?" she asked after a moment.

"Do you see your reflection?" I asked with a smile, moving behind her so that I could look into the mirror as well.

Casey nodded, glancing over her shoulder to look at me.

"Alright then…" I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on her shoulder. "Casey… meet the love of my life. This is the woman that changed my life when I first kissed her. And my first kiss with her was different than any other kiss I've shared with any other girl. The girl that whenever she touches me, I know that she's the girl for me, the only one that I can ever love. She's the one person that complicates me, the one person that I can never act myself around.

"She challenges me more than anyone else. I've had feelings for her ever since she said hello to me. The one girl that if she asked me to stop dating the way I do, I'd do it just to make her happy. The girl that I would do anything for just to make her the happiest she can be." I thought back to the last question that Dad asked me. "And the last and final question that I was asked that told me that I am in love with her… Would I give my own life just to save hers? My answer was… 'If I could save her life by giving my own… then I do it in a heart beat.'"

Casey dropped the mirror, staring forward.

I luckily caught it, and it wasn't easy considering that I was behind her and she dropped the mirror in front of her.

Casey turned around, threw her arms about my neck, and pressed her lips to mine. She pressed her body closer to mine as I wrapped my arms around her waist and allowed myself to get lost in her kiss.

I was in love with Casey, and now she knew it. Wow… I'm in love with my stepsister… Can you say messed up?

But I love her, and that's all that matters… right?


	7. Chapter 7 You Had Me From Hello

**Alright, so I know it's been a while since I've update and I'm sorry about that. I'd decided that I was only going to work on one story at a time because it was easier, but I had some spare time today and I was in the mood to work on my stories and the one that I have been working on I just updated last night, so I thought I'd update some of my other stories.**

**This one's a Casey chapter and its got Dasey written all over it. But I do believe the next chapter's no quite as lovey-dovey...oh well, you'll have to wait and read that one when I get it up. I'll try to update soon instead of just working on one story at a time.**

**Dara Tavar  
**

* * *

**You Had Me From Hello**

**~*Casey's POV*~**

I silently snuck out of my room, heading for Derek's room. It was nearing nine-thirty and the sun had almost disappeared.

I was just about to pass the bathroom when Lizzie's door opened up and Edwin stepped out, making me freeze guiltily in my tracks.

"Hey Casey…what are you doing?" Lizzie asked stepping into the hallway beside Edwin.

"Edwin, Lizzie…I could ask you the same question. What are you two doing up?" I asked curiously, trying to distract them. On school nights we were supposed to be in our rooms by now getting ready for bed. They weren't even in the pajamas yet.

"We were going over our work for a school project. You know, some last minute rechecking. I may be the end of the school year, but we still want to get a good grade on this project. You of all people should understand that, Casey." Edwin replied with a shrug. "We're not going to let out grades slip this nine weeks just because school will be over in a couple weeks."

Alright Casey, you know what we were doing…now what are you doing out here?" Lizzie asked suspiciously.

I thought about where I was standing and replied, "Just heading to the bathroom before going to bed."

Lizzie was acting out of character lately.

"Sure you weren't heading to Derek's room?" Lizzie asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I fought a blush at the thought of her suspecting where I was really going and crossed my own arms, raising an eyebrow. "What are you getting at, Lizzie? And why would I be heading to Derek's room at this hour?"

Edwin shifted uncomfortably. "Lizzie, drop it." He mumbled under his breath, glancing up and me before looking back at the floor.

I hid a smile at his tone. He sounded just like Derek sometimes.

"Casey, come on. I'm not stupid." Lizzie began.

"She never said you were." Edwin grumbled, glaring at the wall.

Lizzie elbowed him and he grunted, turning his glare on her as he rubbed his sore side.

"You shouldn't have done that. He was only telling the truth…I've never called you stupid in your life." I replied casually.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, obviously deciding to just ignore us and continue. "You two have been spending a lot of time together, locked away in your room…or the den, doing who knows what. You tell us that you're just talking but I'm not sure if we can trust that. You've been acting really nice to one another and you act like friends now."

"So…" I leaned against the door frame, "being friends with someone is illegal now, is it? I must have missed that."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and shook her head, obviously deciding to just give up. "Goodnight Edwin. 'Night Casey."

With that she turned around and walked back into her room, shutting the door behind her.

"Night Lizzie." Edwin and I called through the closed door.

"Goodnight Casey." Edwin told me, smiling before moving toward the attic steps. He hesitated and looked back at me. "Don't mind Lizzie, she's just been acting a bit…well, different lately. She doesn't mean anything by what she says."

"Thanks Edwin, and goodnight." I said with a smile.

As soon as they were gone I continued to Derek's room.

I knocked as lightly as I could, hoping not to make Lizzie open her door back up at the sound.

"Come in." Derek said quietly.

I smiled slightly and opened the door, walking in and closing it before looking at Derek. I smiled wider at the sight of his lying on his bed.

He was just lying there with his eyes closed, his head resting on his folded arms. His shirt was on the floor and all he was wearing was a pair of pajama pants.

"What is it?" he asked without opening his eyes.

I locked the door, having already closed it. "Do I have to have a reason to come and visit you?" I asked, letting my eyes wander over his bare chest.

Derek smiled, opening his eyes and turning his head to look at me. "You…no, anyone else…definitely."

I smiled wider and walked over to sit on the bed beside him.

Derek propped himself up on one elbow and leaned closer to me. "And what, might I ask, is the reason for this unexpected, but pleasant, visit? I wasn't really planning on you coming, well I was hoping, but I didn't know if you would or not…"

"Do you ever know when to shut up?" I asked quietly.

Derek blinked, then looked as though he were thinking it over. His lips parted to say something…but I cut him off with a kiss.

He slid his arms around my waist, leaving nothing holding him up, so he fell back onto the bed, pulling me with him.

I moved with him, already halfway on his bed.

I cared for Derek and wanted this badly…but something in my mind said that it was too soon. I wanted revenge against Sam for cheating on me, and sleeping with his best friend without him even knowing it was a good way to get that revenge…but I didn't want Derek thinking that that was why I wanted this.

The part of my mind that whispered that it was too soon warned me that if Derek thought, for any reason, that I'd slept with him for revenge I'd lose him.

My mind wasn't ready to look into why I didn't want to lose him, but I promised myself that I'd think about why later.

Derek pulled back and a sound of disappointment slipped from my open lips. "Wait Casey…"

I sat up, panting slightly. Why had he stopped? I thought he loved me… Didn't he want this too?

'_He doesn't want to be your form of revenge…he doesn't want to get hurt…'_ A little voice whispered in my head.

"What's the matter?" I asked when I'd caught my breath. "Is there a problem, did I do something wrong?"

Derek shook his head, smiling. "You didn't do anything wrong."

I frowned, trying to ignore that nagging little voice that was trying to tell me that he thought I might use him for revenge. I wouldn't do that, not to Derek…and yet, even that nagging little voice couldn't tell me why I was loathe to hurt him.

"Then what is it?" I asked, tilting my head to one side.

Derek looked into my eyes and moved so that he was sitting up as well. "I have feelings for you, as you know. I just want to make sure that you're not doing this as a way to get revenge against Sam because of how he hurt you…and I know you'll probably want revenge now, to hurt him like he hurt you. And I have to admit that revenge is sweet, but…not when it hurts someone who cares about you, who love you. And if you're only doing this for revenge then…I can't be a part of it. I may not know what it's like, but I have no intentions of finding out what it's like to have someone you love do something like that to you."

I was stunned to learn that that little nagging voice, probably my conscience, had been right.

I thought about it for a moment, trying to picture this from his perspective. In his eyes, I could see how it might look like I wanted revenge and how I might be willing to use him to get it.

I took his face in my hands and looked right into his eyes. "You're right, I do want revenge…but I'm not willing to hurt you to get it. That's not why I wanted this…but I realize that it's still too soon for this. I don't want you to think I was going to use you to get revenge again Sam though, I want to know that he knows I got him back when I do finally get revenge against him."

Derek was watching me intently now. "Why don't you want to hurt me Casey?"

I bit my lip. "I care about you and don't want to hurt you…"

Derek watched me for a moment and I hoped he wouldn't ask more questions, I wasn't ready to look too much into my feelings for him.

But finally he nodded and simply said, "I guess that will do for now. But I'm still holding out for something else."

I took a deep breath and nodded, I'd known he would. With a quick kiss I stood up and went to leave, but Derek grabbed my wrist gently to stop me.

"Wait…come with me."

Derek stood up and pulled me over to the window, pulling me with him as he climbed out onto the roof and went higher up.

At first, I was afraid that I might slip and fall. But with Derek holding my hand, I felt safe, for I knew he'd never let me fall. I let him lead me up higher, but I refused to look down…I even closed my eyes and just let Derek guide me.

When we reached the flattest part, I opened my eyes by Derek's instruction and glanced around.

There was a large blanket spread out with two more blankets folded on top of it, two pillows, and a small cooler.

Upon further inspection, I found that the cooler held four cans of pop and several pieces of cold pizza.

I looked around at all the things lying on the rooftop, and then looked at Derek. "You were planning on coming up here?" I finally asked.

Derek smiled as he watched me. "Yes I was…though I was hoping I'd have company, I wasn't exactly expecting it. But I am glad that you came, and as long as you're the only company I have tonight…I'll be the happiest guy on the planet."

I flushed and looked down. With a smiled though I reached out to take his hand and pulled him down on the blanket beside me.

We watched the sun set without talking.

Derek moved the pillows to the top of the blanket and lay down, resting his head on one while leaving the other one for me.

He looked up at the moon and stars, his eyes darting from one star to the next that appeared.

Derek let out a sigh before his eyes found mine and he smiled. Unable to resist, I smiled back.

"How long are we planning on staying up here?" I asked as I laid my head on his shoulder, glancing up at him from beneath my lashes. "I really don't want to be up here if it starts to rain or storm…"

Derek smiled lightly. "We can stay up here however long we'd like to. Never fear, I checked the weather and it's supposed to be a nice night, no rain or anything. There won't be rain until Wednesday.

"Alright…" I watched him for a moment before looking up at the stars. It was a beautiful night and already you would see a lot of stars.

Derek turned to study the stars as well. "I can see the Little Dipper." He pointed up and circled the area with his finger.

"And I see the Big Dipper." I replied, doing the small as he had done and circling it with a finger. "Do you see…O' Ryan's Belt?" I asked as we looked at the stars.

"Yeah, right there." He showed he were it was.

I felt the night air growing cooler and shivered, snuggling closer to Derek as I rubbed my arms.

Derek realized I was getting cold because he reached over to grab one of the other blankets, unfolding it and covering me up.

I threw half the blanket on his and pulled him closer, wanting to keep us both warm and wanting to be close to him.

Derek wrapped his other arm around me and held me tighter against his side, pulling the blanket tighter around us.

I looked up at him even as I felt my eyes closing, even as he did the same.

I knew we were both about to fall asleep, but I didn't care, I just hoped that no one saw us.

That was my last coherent thought before I gave in to the pull of my exhaustion.


	8. Chapter 8

**This is a massive update for anyone reading my stories:**

**It was recently brought to my attention that someone had stolen one of my stories and, only making the smallest amount of changes possible, was passing it off on their own. I alerted the site to this plagiarism, but so far nothing has been done. The other author updated their story recently, telling me that the site has so far done nothing concerning this problem. If nothing is done about this within the next few weeks, I've come to the decision that I will delete my account on here and never again put anything on this website.**

**To anyone who still wishes to read what I write, I will happily accept a message with an email or even if you just want to give me your profile url and I'll be happy to continue writing elsewhere and send you the link where you can find my stories as long as no one steals my stuff to post it on here (if there are any particular kind of stories, a certain movie or book, tell me and I'll message you whenever I write something to do with it). If I find out something like that happens, I'll be done writing online for sure.**

**I hope this matter is resolved, because I love writing on here and getting reviews, I only wish I got more. ****I get author alerts or story alerts, but I would love more reviews. In reality, reviews only trickle in little by little and while it's nice to be put on someone's alert list, that doesn't tell me how I'm going or give me anything to think about doing for the next chapters. If you like my stories, please REVIEW and tell me how much you like them, things you want me to do, suggestions for a spin-off story(or stories)...anything will be fine.**

**Well, lets just hope this gets fixed.**

**Dara Tavar  
**


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